Going Pro: Andrew's response
In my last post, called 'Going Pro,' I asked five of my friends who are working professional musicians to give some tips about how they made the transition to full-time pro music. One of my best friends, Andrew, is a full-time bassist in Nashville, and is playing nearly every day of the week. He's touring, playing clubs, writing, and recording. His response to my question was incredible and incredibly helpful, so I wanted to host the full response here on my blog. Here's where you can find Andrew.
Me: i'm writing a blog post about going pro. any tips that you'd say put you over the edge in terms of getting gigs?
Andrew: There are a few major ones:
Be 15-20 minutes early for EVERYTHING. That may sound extreme, but people notice that. Rehearsal, load in, coffee meeting, whatever. No matter how small it may seem. It says something to an artist when you're loaded in, setup, and ready to roll 10 minutes before downbeat of rehearsal.
Be nice and connect with the people you're playing with. Doesn't matter if the gig is paid at a theatre or unpaid at a bar. Every one of those artists/musicians knows other artists/musicians who need fill-ins. I auditioned for this touring country duo last September. It was me and 17 other bass players. After I got the gig, I asked the guitar player why I got the gig over those guys. His answer was basically, "You knew your parts musically, but ultimately you connected with (artist name here) by hanging out and talking football".
Be genuine. Don't approach people just to get work. That will immediately turn them away. Like I said before, people want to connect with people. That's our nature. When I see an incredible artist/band that I truly believe in, I approach them after their set, introduce myself, compliment their set, ask when they are playing next around town, and buy some merch (that's not mandatory, but I like to at least rep something of the bands that I believe in, even if it's a $1 sticker). I like for artists to find out that I play bass on their own, or when they see my profile picture on social media. Friends first, business partners second.
Never turn down a gig that you have never played before. That includes venues and artists. What's the worst that could happen? You play the gig, have a bad time, and you don't take that gig again. It's not worth missing out on something potentially beautiful, whether that be your new favorite venue, or an artist who ADORES your style. Paid or unpaid. Makes no difference.
Over-prepare. In November, I was asked to play a short, five-song set for an artist who I had met very recently. She texted me about the gig Thursday around midnight, and the gig was Saturday afternoon, with a rehearsal that morning. It turned out that Friday I was on the road all day going to Birmingham and back on a gig. I promise you, on that van ride I listened to each of those songs 60 times, charted them, and made notes for certain spots for riffs and such. When I showed up to rehearsal, the artist/band (who I had never played with at all before) were astounded at how well I knew the material. Rehearsal wrapped up in half an hour, and the gig was killer. Since that gig, I have played on three records within that band/friend group, and played around 10-12 shows with them.
When it comes to gigs/any musical work, DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY. No matter who you are, who you know, or what your background is, I can almost guarantee that you will be passed over for a gig. Brush it off and get another one. Recently, I was passed over for a festival gig in Orlando by an artist who I had played a couple shows with in Nashville. He's breaking back into the touring game, and I figured he would take me along since the gigs I had with him went very well. Honestly, I was curious when I saw that he took off to Orlando with another bass player. But sure enough, a week later, his manager reached out and offered me his next two sets of road dates. I easily could've gotten angry with the artist/manager and told them off right when I found out that they hired someone else. I didn't, and I had a blast on the road with them last weekend. Don't worry about reasons, and don't take it personally.
I could go on for days, but I'll end on this: don't stop practicing on your own just because gigs are coming in. When I moved to Nashville, I had no clue what the "Nashville Number System" was. Best believe I worked my tail off to learn that when I got here and heard the musicians on my first gig talking about flat sevens and such. Every gig is going to bring a new challenge, and that will require your time. You know, that time when you don't want to practice. When it's so late after a gig that you have to plug headphones into the amp to not wake the neighbors. There's always room to improve theory knowledge, improvisation, rhythm, blah blah. That's the beauty of this field of music. You can never get to the point where you say, "Welp, I can't learn anything else".